Less invasive ways to study colon work

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - If you think some medical tests - like a colonoscopy - are unpleasant, get ready! Some tests could soon become less of a worry.

If you had your first colonoscopy at age 50 and there were no abnormalities, the recommendation is that you have another colonoscopy in 10 years. But is that really necessary?

A study sponsored by the National Cancer Institute used computer simulation to compare repeated colonoscopy with other screening methods, such as fecal blood testing, immunologic testing or CT scans. The less invasive tests showed the same benefit with fewer complications and lower cost.

What about cholesterol testing to help prevent a heart attack? You go for a checkup, and then you have to get a blood test the next day because the sample is supposed to be taken at least eight hours after your last meal. Is that necessary?

Doctors in Canada studied more than 200,000 people who had fasted from one to 16 hours before their blood test. It didn't seem to matter - cholesterol values varied by less than 10 percent. The conclusion is that "most of our lipid profiles can be obtained in the non-fasting state, increasing convenience for our patients and ourselves."

These reports haven't changed the way doctors practice medicine yet, but they might. Easy or not, the most important part of a screening test is having it done. For a colonoscopy, that still means having your first one at age 50.